June 19, 2013

Glenn Beck's Media Company Hires Wiley Rein Lobbyists

The media company founded by conservative commentator Glenn Beck has turned to Wiley Rein for help in its first foray into Washington lobbying.

Mercury Radio Arts Inc., which produces The Glenn Beck Program, GlennBeck.com and TheBlaze media network, has hired the firm to advocate for it on program carriage matters, according to a lobbying registration report filed with Congress on Tuesday. The New York-based company didn't have any lobbying firms registered to advocate for it before it retained Wiley Rein, according to congressional records.

Senior public policy adviser Scott Weaver, as well as public policy consultants Peter Krug and John Simpson, are handling the account. Weaver and Simpson also lobby for the National Association of Broadcasters, the leading trade group for radio and television broadcasters.

Simpson said he and his colleagues are monitoring Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the courts for actions that affect how television providers carry programming.

"We're working on making sure that the laws around carriage deals don't materially change," he said.

In February, TheBlaze, which offers news, opinions and entertainment, began a grassroots campaign to expand its presence on cable and satellite television. TheBlaze began in 2011 as an online streaming network. It is now available through several television providers, including Cablevision, RCN and DISH Network.